As a fan who had the pleasure of witnessing Raygun’s electrifying performance at the 2024 Olympics, I must say that her story has left an indelible mark on me. It’s disheartening to see someone who brought so much energy and passion to the sport be forced into retirement due to negative perceptions and harsh criticism.
Despite the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris having concluded, there were numerous valuable lessons to be gleaned from the television broadcast schedule. The opening ceremonies ignited discussions among Hollywood celebrities and the general public, while sports such as men’s gymnastics attracted a vast new fanbase. For many individuals, including Australian breakdancer Raygun, the event significantly impacted their lives.
If you haven’t heard one of the summer’s biggest shocks yet, breakdancing made its debut as an event at this year’s games. Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn, an Australian academic and competitive breakdancer, caused quite a stir online when she took to the stage. Despite losing all three rounds with her unique style and kangaroo-like jumps, she went viral – but not in a positive way.
The Australian news outlet Reuters obtained exclusive details from the Olympian regarding recent events and her decision to leave the sport. When questioned about future competitions, she expressed that the public’s perceptions have made a career in dancing too burdensome to continue due to the overwhelming nature of it all. She elaborated on this statement (through CNN) by saying:
I’ve decided to step away from competitions, it’s become quite challenging for me. Yes, I still dance and break dance, but only casually with my partner at home. It’s been disheartening because I felt like I had no control over how others perceived me or who I truly am.
It’s unfortunate that the dance routine she did over three months ago continues to trouble her. Gunn was extremely popular for a while, and the event significantly elevated her career, gaining her fans not only in her home country but also globally (including myself). However, she admitted that it led to an influx of harsh criticism and negativity towards her dancing. There’s no denying that Gunn, at 37 years old, electrified the breakdancing competition beyond what anyone could have imagined, but it’s regrettable that the backlash from others pushed her into retirement.
Beyond just comments, Raygun’s popularity during her stage performance sparked significant criticism as well. This led people to create petitions, speculate about conspiracy theories involving her husband and coach, Samuel Free, manipulating the decision to send Gunn to Paris, among other things. In essence, the Australian dancer has been dealing with a lot in just a few short months.
2021 marked the debut of breakdancing as an Olympic event, but sadly, it has been taken out of the schedule for the Los Angeles Games. Fingers crossed, perhaps in the future we’ll witness breakdancing return to this esteemed stage, and maybe even Raygun will make an appearance.
Should you be interested in catching up on the highlights of the 2024 Olympic Games, you can do so by subscribing to Peacock’s streaming service.
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2024-11-08 00:37